The Minnesota Vikings pounced early to land free agency's biggest prize. Kirk Cousins plans to sign a three-year, fully guaranteed contract with the team Thursday, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter. The deal is worth &dollar;86 million "or so," according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Cousins is set to have dinner with Vikings coaches and personnel Wednesday night once the 2018 league year has officially begun, sources told Rapaport, and will make his first visit to the team's facility Thursday.The move comes shortly after it was reported that Case Keenum intends to sign with the Denver Broncos at the official beginning of free agency.

Losers : Vikings , Bengals. March 26, 2014 By paulmbanks Leave a Comment. Other franchises, though, took a step back as they didn’t make a key move to help their teams improve this NFL free agency period.

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Report: Keenum intends to sign with Broncos when free agency opens

Report: Keenum intends to sign with Broncos when free agency opens Wednesday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.Keenum, who turned 30 in February, is coming off the finest season of his career. He went 11-3 for the Vikings, setting career highs in completion percentage (67.6 percent), yards (3,547), touchdowns (22), and quarterback rating (98.3).Minnesota finished the season an impressive 13-3, eventually losing the NFC Championship Game to the Philadelphia Eagles.

We'll take a look at some of those winners and losers from the second week of free agency . Winner : New England Patriots. The Green Bay Packers' loss was the Vikings ' gain as Minnesota acquired pass-rusher Datone Jones, who will now make it his business to get after Aaron Rodgers twice a year.

Here are the winners and losers from free agency . Follow me @walterfootball for updates. 2013 NFL Free Agency Losers . Buffalo Bills The Bills lost one of the best guards in the NFL . Kansas City Chiefs The Chiefs gave up way too much for Alex Smith and then overpaid six free agents .

NFL free agency in 2018 did not need to officially start in order for the biggest moves to unofficially happen.

So which teams have made great signings and trades so far? Which players made out like bandits with their contracts? Although everybody is trying be a "winner," history proves an open market is bound to create some "losers," too.

NFL FREE AGENCY:

Rumors, reported deals, updates

Here's a running breakdown of the best and worst moves in 2018 NFL free agency.

Winners: Kirk Cousins and Vikings

Minnesota splurged on a three-year deal with big guaranteed money (a reported $84 million) to make sure it got Cousins, and the QB's other suitors didn't.

It works out well for both player and team, as the Vikings thought about Cousins entering his age-30 season knowing they're in the right window to win a Super Bowl with him. He's a perfect fit in the West Coast offense, inheriting ideal skill position weapons in Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, Kyle Rudolph and Dalvin Cook.

Report: Sam Bradford intends to sign with Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals are expected to sign quarterback Sam Bradford when free agency opens on Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET, according to a report.Sam Bradford intends to sign with Arizona, source tells ESPN.

CHIEFS . RAIDERS. The NFL ’s new league year kicked off with a bang on Thursday at 4 p.m. EST as free agency officially commenced. Trivia Blitz: See if you have what it takes to get them all right in Friday’s free agency quiz.

How has NFL free agency potentially altered top of 2017 draft? LOSERS . Jimmy Garoppolo: He'll apparently have to wait one more year to break the bank and receive the opportunity to lead QB Mike Glennon: Agreed to deal with Bears (previous team: Buccaneers) Kim Klement, USA TODAY Sports.

Cousins made top-market money up front and landed with a contender that will help him push his career to a higher (see: winning) level of success. The NFC runners-up from 2017 are the new NFC favorites for 2018.

Losers: Jets

The Jets, once reportedly all in on Cousins, had to stumble around for Plan B, starting with a one-year flyer on former Viking Teddy Bridgewater. The question is, would the Jets be any worse off in 2018 by just rolling with either Josh Allen, Josh Rosen or Baker Mayfield and not forcing a stopgap signing like Josh McCown? In comparison, the Broncos appear to have made a Plan-A signing with their Cousins consolation in Case Keenum.

Early at other positions, cornerback Trumaine Johnson and running back Isaiah Crowell were meh signings. Inside linebacker Avery Williamson was a good get, but he essentially is replacing free agent Demario Davis. GM Mike Maccagnan is saving his best for draft.

Grading the early deals of NFL free agency

The NFL's "legal tampering" period opened with a flurry on Monday, resulting in many top free agents reportedly deciding their future home ahead of the new league year Wednesday. With many moves virtually in the books, theScore's Jack Browne, Mitch Sanderson, and Mike Alessandrini grade the biggest signings upon first look.Kirk Cousins, VikingsContract:3 years, &dollar;86 million fully guaranteedCousins certainly deserves a round of applause from the rest of the NFLPA (or at least, the quarterbacks) for securing a fully-guaranteed contract. But from the Vikings' point of view, this is a pretty major risk.

Losers . Denver Broncos. Mark Sanchez is their top QB . Kansas City Chiefs . So far as we know, they didn't tamper with any free agents this year. Winners . Losers . Minnesota Vikings .

Winners: Bears

With Allen Robinson, the Bears got the complete, young No. 1 wideout they needed for Mitchell Trubisky. With Trey Burton, they got an up-and-coming pass-catching tight end from a similar Eagles offense. With Taylor Gabriel, they got a versatile cog they will use in a variety of ways. New coach Matt Nagy and GM Ryan Pace are copycatting what the Eagles' Doug Pederson and Howie Roseman did for their QB taken No. 2 overall: Pouring on the help.

On the side at wide receiver, Chicago also brought back Cameron Meredith as a restricted free agent and avoided the temptation of Jarvis Landry while also making sure Jordan Howard sticks as the stud in the backfield. Using the transition tag on rising corner Kyle Fuller and re-signing Prince Amukamara, too is also bound to pay off, as the Bears kept their defense intact for Vic Fangio. Don't expect Pace to be finished, but he got off the blocks well for Nagy.

NFL FREE AGENCY:

Tracking all signings, trades, cuts

Winners: Chiefs

Rarely does a playoff team flip a switch so hard, but Kansas City did, and it did so rather successfully. It started with trading Alex Smith and anointing Patrick Mahomes as the new starting QB. Gone are Marcus Peters, Derrick Johnson and Albert Wilson. Arriving are Kendall Fuller, Anthony Hitchens and Sammy Watkins.

The 2018 Canadian Screen Awards have kicked off awards week in Toronto as the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television celebrate the country’s best. In a ceremony held on Tuesday, the Academy recognized 50 winners in non-fiction programming. Covering everything from news, documentaries, reality TV and sports programming to the on-camera journalists and reporters who bring the news straight to Canadians, the annual CSAs gala celebration was hosted by Miguel Rivas of The Beaverton.

Behold: Winners and losers from Day T-1 of 2018 NFL free agency . So good for the Vikings for getting the top QB on the market and the Bears for rebuilding their offensive skill position group, etc.

With NFL free agency now a few days old, some winners and losers have emerged — though this list promises to remain fairly fluid amid the league 's ever-shifting landscape. San Francisco 49ers: Does anyone want to stay here? (G Alex Boone didn't, and QB Colin Kaepernick apparently doesn't.)

Fuller can end up being better than Peters all-around, and he will be much less of a headache for coach Andy Reid. Hitchens can make a ton of plays like Johnson did for many years, and at 25, he's a decade younger. Wilson had flashes as a complementary weapon to Tyreek Hill, but Watkins is capable of winning a track meet with Hill while streaking downfield to catch passes from Mahomes' cannon. Reid's team need a reboot, and the Chiefs 2.0 are looking good.

Loser: AJ McCarron

Remember when McCarron was going to be traded to the Browns, and then when he was for sure going to sign with the Browns? But there went Smith to the Redskins, Tyrod Taylor to the Browns, Cousins to the Vikings, Keenum to the Broncos and Bradford to the Cardinals.

The starting jobs have dried up, save for the Bills, who might end up bailing him out. McCarron fought to be an unrestricted free agent, but he can't like the early results.

Winners: Jaguars

Former Panthers left guard Andrew Norwell wasn't heard in any rumors regarding the Jags, but there he is, about to line up next to stud center Brandon Linder and further boost the blocking in front of Leonard Fournette for the league's No. 1 rushing attack. The Jaguars don't want to mess with the running game/physical identity that got them a quarter away from the Super Bowl. At the same time, they took a worthy flyer on a cheaper Robinson in fill-in with former Colt Donte Moncrief.

'SNL' Makes Fun of Oscar Winners and Losers in Game Show Spoof

'SNL' Makes Fun of Oscar Winners and Losers in Game Show SpoofBeck Bennett played Guillermo del Toro, who won Best Director for The Shape of Water. Thompson called him “Gucci Del Taco” and made plenty of jokes about the show’s premise, which involves a mute cleaning lady who falls in love with a fish monster.

Winner : Bucs QB Jameis Winston. The days of Adam Humphries finishing second among Buccaneers receivers in targets are over. Loser : Vikings RB Latavius Murray. Murray might have thought he was walking into a starting gig when the Vikings showed him the love Oakland would not in free agency

NFL free agency is about the art of the deal … and of the no deal. 7 Texans: Losers . Who they got : QB Brock Osweiler, RB Lamar Miller, G/T Jeff Allen. They also lost a cornerstone of their offensive line when guard Alex Boone left for the Vikings .

Losers: Colts

The Colts have a ton of money under the salary cap, but they have been eerily quiet. With the Jaguars being winners in the division, at least the Texans (Aaron Colvin) and Titans (Malcolm Butler) signed impact cornerbacks. It didn't hurt much that Jacksonville grabbed Moncrief, but it should have hurt to see running back target Dion Lewis also sign with Tennessee. There wasn't much fortune in favor of Andrew Luck or the defense.

Winner: Norwell

Norwell, an undrafted free agent who was great in Carolina, became the highest-paid guard in the league with his 5-year, $66.5 million deal from Jacksonville that includes $30 million guaranteed. He reset the market for the position again after the Browns' Kevin Zeitler did it last year.

Winners: Wide receivers

Robinson and Watkins got paid most, but former Seahawk Paul Richardson (5 years, $40 million from the Redskins) and former Chief Albert Wilson (3 years, $24 million from the Dolphins) can't complain about averaging $8 million in annual salary coming off limited production. Heck, even former Patriot Danny Amendola (2 years, $12 million from the Dolphins) got more than he's worth. John Brown ($5 milion) and Ryan Grant (four years, $29 million) got paid well by the Ravens, too. The Eagles paid Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith last year. Copycat city.

Losers: Running backs

Dion Lewis did sign with the Titans, but he lands in a complementary role behind Derrick Henry, not a featured one. Jonathan Stewart is signing with a Giants team run by former Panthers GM Dave Gettleman and the Jets decided to add former Browns early-down back Isaiah Crowell. But Doug Martin, Carlos Hyde, Jerick McKinnon and others didn't get much first-day buzz.

John Powell – GobalTV.com Poor Ulong. On the Palau season, they were so spectacularly unsuccessful that Stephenie LaGrossa became the last surviving member and a one woman tribe for one night until she was absorbed by Koror the next day. Nowadays, it seems Ulong may never be surpassed as the worst tribe in Survivor history […]John Powell – GobalTV.

Free agency is in full swing right now. Getting them for the prices they did is even better. Loser : Pittsburgh Steelers Their biggest moves—bringing back William Gay to the secondary and adding Bruce Gradkowski as a backup quarterback .

Welcome to Winners and Losers . Which one are you? Winner : Exciting NFL Games. This week, the NFL got its good games back . This is the second time a Vikings QB has stunned the NFL with an uncharacteristically brilliant passing performance this season.

It's clear this position is way down on teams' priority lists, especially with another strong draft class of running backs coming.

Winner: Le'Veon Bell

C'mon, Le'Veon. With that market, you should be thrilled you get a chance to earn $14.5 million fully guaranteed for only one season.

Winner: Richard Sherman

Sherman has been criticized about how he should have shopped himself and not settled for a low-ball deal as his own agent. But he landed in the same defensive scheme as that of the Seahawks, still got well compensated at $13 million per season coming off a ruptured Achilles in his age-30 season and gets to exact revenge on Seattle while playing for its rival down the coast. That's a win.

Winners: 49ers and Rams

The old best rivalry in the NFC West is the new best rivalry in the NFC West. San Francisco got Sherman and offensive lineman Weston Richburg. There will be more calculated spending ahead, and besides, the Niners already made the big move of the offseason by signing and then extending Jimmy Garoppolo.

The Rams countered by tagging safety Lamarcus Joyner, trading for cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib and re-signing corner Nickell Robey-Coleman. Wade Phillips' defense vs. Kyle Shanahan's offense will be fun in 2018 as the teams battle for the division title and, maybe, much bigger things in the NFC.

Losers: Cardinals and Seahawks

The Cardinals became the latest team to overpay Sam Bradford, for one year at a reported $20 million. Of all the stopgaps they could have gotten for their post-Carson Palmer QB void, an older guy who can't stay healthy is not a good short-term investment. They will take their lumps in the division in 2018, so saving money and thinking long-term would have been the better route.

Report: Vikings finalizing trade for Siemian

Kirk Cousins apparently has his backup in Minnesota. The Vikings are finalizing a trade for Denver Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Denver will send Siemian and a 2018 late-round pick to Minnesota in exchange for a 2019 draft selection, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.The former seventh-round pick started 24 games over the past two seasons but was unable to cement his place as the Broncos' long-term option under center.The Broncos signed Case Keenum to a two-year contract Wednesday, making Siemian dispensible.

Free Agency Winners & Losers . Monday, March 13, 2017. I do expect the Bears to use an early-round pick at his position. Jalen Richard and DeAndre The Vikings were at one point connected to free agent Latavius Murray, and GM Rick Spielman hasn’t ruled out bringing Adrian Peterson back .

What else can one say about the Seahawks? Earl Thomas is the last man standing in the Legion of Boom, and the defensive line rotation is without Michael Bennett. So far, Russell Wilson has not gotten line or receiving help (bye Richardson, bye Jimmy Graham) as even more of a burden falls on him to carry the offense and the entire team out of mediocrity.

Winners: Drew Brees and Jimmy Graham

They're not playing together again. Brees got his two-year deal to return to the Saints, while Graham leaves Wilson and the Seahawks .... to join Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. The tight end has had a blessed career as a young basketballer-turned-veteran red-zone receiving stud. Graham by default should work out for Green Bay after the Martellus Bennett disaster.

Losers: Jordy Nelson

The venerable Packers wide receiver is the most notable, shocking cut so far, trumping the Dolphins' decision to part ways with Ndamukong Suh. Rodgers moves on with recently extended Davante Adams and Graham as his go-to guys, but it's sad to see Nelson leave.

Winners: Aaron Rodgers and Zack Martin

Rodgers should be looking at all these QB contracts, led by those of Garoppolo and Cousins, and knowing he'll get his relative discount contract double-checked again by the Packers. Martin, the best guard in the league, becomes a free agent in 2019. After what Norwell got, Martin should already hear all that cha-chinging coming out of Jerry Jones' cash register.

Report: Vikings finalizing trade for Siemian .
Kirk Cousins apparently has his backup in Minnesota. The Vikings are finalizing a trade for Denver Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Denver will send Siemian and a 2018 late-round pick to Minnesota in exchange for a 2019 draft selection, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.The former seventh-round pick started 24 games over the past two seasons but was unable to cement his place as the Broncos' long-term option under center.The Broncos signed Case Keenum to a two-year contract Wednesday, making Siemian dispensible.

Losers : Vikings , Bengals. March 26, 2014 By paulmbanks Leave a Comment. Other franchises, though, took a step back as they didn’t make a key move to help their teams improve this NFL free agency period.

We'll take a look at some of those winners and losers from the second week of free agency . Winner : New England Patriots. The Green Bay Packers' loss was the Vikings ' gain as Minnesota acquired pass-rusher Datone Jones, who will now make it his business to get after Aaron Rodgers twice a year.

Here are the winners and losers from free agency . Follow me @walterfootball for updates. 2013 NFL Free Agency Losers . Buffalo Bills The Bills lost one of the best guards in the NFL . Kansas City Chiefs The Chiefs gave up way too much for Alex Smith and then overpaid six free agents .

CHIEFS . RAIDERS. The NFL ’s new league year kicked off with a bang on Thursday at 4 p.m. EST as free agency officially commenced. Trivia Blitz: See if you have what it takes to get them all right in Friday’s free agency quiz.

How has NFL free agency potentially altered top of 2017 draft? LOSERS . Jimmy Garoppolo: He'll apparently have to wait one more year to break the bank and receive the opportunity to lead QB Mike Glennon: Agreed to deal with Bears (previous team: Buccaneers) Kim Klement, USA TODAY Sports.

With NFL free agency now a few days old, some winners and losers have emerged — though this list promises to remain fairly fluid amid the league 's ever-shifting landscape. San Francisco 49ers: Does anyone want to stay here? (G Alex Boone didn't, and QB Colin Kaepernick apparently doesn't.)